Of course, the position is drawn. But in practice, it's more comfortable to play as Black due to the better pawn structure. In addition, Ding was in time trouble and his last moves showed a great desire to fight desperately for a draw, which must have increased Gukesh's confidence.
23. f1d1 The game is heading for a draw. At this point, likely no one could expect a different result than this. But chess, like sports and life in general, can surprise us. 23... d8b6  24. c6f3  24... f4g3  25. h2g3 